Letters from the Heart
by Fragments of Time
Summary: At the end of JFA/GS2, Adrian says that Franziska wrote her a letter. Exacty what did that letter say, and how did Adrian respond? Fradrian
1. Prologue

Prologue -

Franziska sat down at her desk, a piece of stationary and a pen in front of her. She wasn't sure why she was doing this at all, but somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about that certain someone. She decided it surely must be concern, and had from there come to the conclusion that writing her a letter would be a good way to alleviate that concern. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she should feel concerned anyway, but she pushed that thought away whenever it came to the surface, not yet ready to accept its answer.

_Dear Adrian Andrews,_

Yes, that part was simple, but she faltered when she tried to think of the contents of the letter. She felt a need to justify sending it, since it was more than a little unusual, but she couldn't think of any sort of justification she was willing to admit, for she was not willing to admit she was concerned.

_I hope you are alright after the incredible display of foolishness that both Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth pulled in that trial._

She was about to throw the letter out and start again as she realized that Adrian had specifically said at the end of the trial that she was doing better, because she now felt like she could accept herself. It had seemed genuine, but Franziska decided to leave it, knowing that not only could things change, but people had a frustrating tendency to say one thing and actually feel another – not that she was exempt from this.

_I suppose that, due to Miles Edgeworth's ruining of my plan, you are currently in prison. I hope it isn't too harsh, considering that your crime, in the grand scheme of things, was really quite mild._

She paused to wonder where that sort of attitude had come from. Normally, she would not care for anything further than the fact that Adrian Andrews had broken the law, making her a criminal. Franziska could not accept criminals, no matter the circumstances – or so she would have said before. On the other hand, all Adrian had truly done was to frame a guilty man for the crime he had committed, so perhaps it was excusable.

_I am currently out of the country, but I have plans to return at some point._

Was that true? Before, she had thought that maybe she would return someday, but it certainly wasn't something she had 'plans' to do. Somehow, though, she felt like she would end up returning for one reason or another. Certainly not just to see Adrian, she insisted.

_Of course, with you in prison, our correspondence is limited. However, once you get out, please feel free to consult me about anything at all. My address is written as the return address, and you can call me at (05394) 71 22._

She knew that would probably look a bit strange to an American, since they had their ten digit phone numbers, rather than the number of digits varying. She could see where that could certainly make things simpler, though the German system didn't bother her, since she had used it for most of her life.

Was there anything else she should say? She was generally as brief and to the point as she could be, but she knew some people thought she was being rude or avoidant because of it. Normally, she couldn't care less what most people thought of her, but Adrian… Adrian was different. This was another thing Franziska refused to think about, so instead, she quickly signed it.

_Sincerely, Franziska von Karma_

She then filled out the necessary information onto the envelope and put the letter inside. She wasn't about to mail the letter now, at 9 pm, but she was sure to mail it the next day.


	2. Chapter 1

_Dear Ms. von Karma,_

Adrian stopped. That sounded so formal... too much so, she could only think. On the other hand, she wasn't sure if it was alright for her to just refer to her by first name. Franziska, of course, had written "Adrian Andrews," but she always spoke like that. Eventually, she shrugged and got another piece of paper, since she was writing with a pen. She started again.

_Dear Franziska von Karma,_

It was still a little strangely formal, but she didn't really know the woman well enough to feel comfortable addressing her informally.

_Thank you for your letter. _

Again, more formal than she thought was really necessary. She hadn't written a real letter in a while; most things were e-mail now.

_How is your shoulder? I heard from Mr. Wright that you were shot... Well, he said you were alright, but that sounds quite serious no matter how I look at it._

Franziska seemed like someone stubborn enough that Adrian couldn't help but to think she would probably be fine no matter what happened. From what Phoenix had said, that seemed to indeed be the case, so she wasn't as worried as she might otherwise have been.

_There's not much to do here but to think. I really can't complain, though; it's only natural, since I did commit a crime. Actually, I ended up being lucky, in a way. I don't know how closely you were following the trial, but I almost ended up being the one convicted of murder myself. Well, Mr. Wright explained that there were certain... extenuating circumstances, but I can't help but to wish he hadn't cut it so close. _

_I'm set to get out in a couple of months. When will you be coming back? You will, right? When you do, I would really like it if we could meet somewhere. Letters are nice, but talking in person is better. …Assuming you won't be too busy with all of your cases, I suppose._

Speaking of jobs, she realized, she was going to have to be finding a new one. She supposed she could technically go back to Global Studios and be somebody else's manager, but she decided she would rather make a fresh start.

_At the moment, I'm actually doing quite well, though. That's not something you would expect to hear from somebody in prison, but it's true. This might sound terrible since it took the deaths of nearly everyone involved for me to say this, but I feel like I can finally move on from that incident. I don't know where I'll be going from here, but I think I'll be okay from now on. Still, I would really like to stay in contact with you._

She tried to think of anything more to say, but that was really all there was to it. It wasn't as though her life was currently very exciting, so there wasn't much for her to talk about at the moment. She decided to end the letter at that, finishing with,

_Sincerely, Adrian Andrews_

She read over it one more time. She wasn't sure why she felt nervous about it – it was just a letter, after all. Somehow, she felt like this letter was very important… or perhaps it was Franziska she considered so important, though this thought made her shake her head, deciding that was unlikely since she didn't know the prosecutor that well. Actually, from what she knew of her, she was somewhat surprised that Franziska had written her in the first place. She didn't seem like the type who kept in contact with her clients long after the case.

Unlike Phoenix, she couldn't help but to add. She didn't consider it a good thing, nor a bad thing, but perhaps an unusual thing. He had come to visit a couple of times since the case had ended, always with Maya and Pearl in tow. The first time, Maya had animatedly explained why Phoenix had been prolonging the trial, even when that meant temporarily pinning the blame on Adrian. She had smiled and said that it was fine, since everything had worked out, and that she was glad Maya was alright. Naturally, Maya exaggerated the story a bit, but she thought she could mostly tell the parts she was exaggerating on, and regardless, Adrian could only think that she was glad to not have had such an experience.

Edgeworth, on the other hand, she had not seen or spoke to since the trial. She once asked about him, and Maya said that he was "just like that," without explaining what she meant. Adrian supposed that was more typical, anyway.

She idly wondered if maybe she shouldn't ask about why Franziska had insisted she should plead the fifth, when it had actually seemed to cause much more trouble than if she had admitted her crime in the first place. She decided not to mention it for now, but perhaps someday in the future, when she would know she could ask a question like that without accidentally offending her. Then again, things had gone much differently than she would have imagined, Adrian supposed, since Franziska was supposed to be the one prosecuting the case, rather than Edgeworth.

Franziska's absence had nearly caused her to be guilty, and Matt to be acquitted. However, in the end, it had bought Phoenix more time to stall while they tried to rescue Maya (even if it wasn't the high-speed, movie-style chase Maya had depicted it as). Everything had managed to work out pretty well, all in all, considering the circumstances. She only wished everything could work out so nicely, with justice always prevailing.

_Perhaps the world sometimes does care about genuinely nice people…_ she mused. It hadn't seemed to for Celeste, but Phoenix, who was trying his best to find the truth (regardless of whether that meant losing the case) while still saving Maya, truly believed a miracle had occurred. She couldn't argue with that, either.

She wasn't sure whether she was a 'genuinely nice' person. She would have liked to consider herself one, but after seeking revenge like she did, she didn't think she could honestly say she was. However, she had already decided she would make it up. She didn't know how quite yet, but she would find some way, and she would change. In the meantime, she felt like her motive for seeking revenge was justifiable, so for now, she could accept things. It may have seemed odd to other people, but it worked for her. Unlike Franziska, she didn't expect herself to be perfect.

She decided that the letter was fine. She had already written the address, given to her by Franziska, on the envelope. With that, she got it mailed.


	3. Chapter 2

It was less than a week later when Adrian received a reply. She was surprised, since it had to come from so far away. Franziska must have taken the time to write back fairly soon after receiving the letter. Of course, Adrian, without anything else to do, started writing back almost immediately after she received the letter, but Franziska actually had things to do. Then again, she seemed efficient enough to manage anyway. She envied that, although she supposed it could also become quite overwhelming. She wondered if perhaps Franziska didn't have overly high standards for herself.

She opened the envelope carefully. It was just an envelope, so she felt like she was being silly, but she didn't want to just rip it open and throw it away. She had kept the envelope from the other letter, as well, but she had justified that as being for the address, which was given as the return address.

_Dear Adrian Andrews,_

_I can assure you that it is no problem. I am in excellent health, as always. Being shot is very nearly a von Karma right of passage, anyway, though a foolish one. It is not serious in the slightest, and had Miles Edgeworth not foolishly dragged me to the hospital, I would have certainly been prosecuting that case myself. _

She found herself chuckling at the last sentence in particular, though only with the knowledge Franziska hadn't succeeded in doing such a thing. Even without knowing her all that well, she could certainly see her trying that. Franziska would tell the judge, "_The prosecution is ready, Your Honor_," and he would look at her incredulously and ask, "_M-Ms. von Karma… Your shoulder is bleeding. Are you sure?_" She would whip him and tell him it was just a minor inconvenience, and only a fool would let such a small thing interfere with the trial. She would probably proceed through the entire trial normally, if possible, too.

On the other hand, that could have had bad consequences, both for Franziska and for Maya, so she was glad the prosecutor had been taken to the hospital. She wondered what was meant by it being "very nearly a von Karma right of passage," though. She didn't follow court proceedings except the one she had been involved in, so she was unaware of the entire DL-6 and Manfred's similar shoulder wound.

_Yes, that was quite the trial. I followed it on the hospital's foolish television. I had to whip the fool to let me change the channel from the foolishness that had been playing to a broadcast. Phoenix Wright was a fool to allow such things to happen. Why would you let someone defenseless wander around someplace a murder has just taken place? Even if he didn't technically know it was a murder, they follow him everywhere he goes, so he should have known anyway. Fool. Despite his carelessness, I can assure you that you would have been in no danger had I been prosecuting. I had a perfect plan set up, of course, which was guaranteed to work so long as you didn't confess to tampering with the scene of the crime. Miles Edgeworth clearly didn't have as efficient a strategy, which was why you ran into the troubles you did. Not that I'm surprised; he will never be as great a prosecutor as I am, of course, since he wasn't raised under the von Karma family name for the majority of his life._

The last part, unbeknownst to Adrian, was a bluff. As Franziska had admitted to Edgeworth, she did feel like she was in his shadow the majority of the time. However, she would never admit this to anyone else, and the more she acted like she thought it wasn't true, the more she thought people would believe she really didn't feel that way. Someday, in the future, she would tell Adrian the truth, but that would not be for quite some time, when Adrian had succeeded in the difficult task of truly earning Franziska's trust. Despite this, Franziska was aware that Adrian already seemed to trust her quite a lot, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she took care not to betray that trust.

_Perhaps we could meet again, when I return there. I cannot say when at this time, except that I am taking a short break from prosecuting, and will likely return when that break is over. It won't be for long, of course; simply long enough for me to study a few things. When I do return, I will certainly let you know in advance if I am able. More than likely, though, it would be for another of Mr. Phoenix Wright's foolish trials, in which case I doubt I'll have much time for other things. _

Adrian noticed that Franziska seemed to enjoy using that word, "foolish." She wouldn't have noticed it except that it was somewhat of an unusual word. She didn't think she had ever used it, actually, or heard it anywhere other than in this letter. Then again, she must have heard it somewhere, or she wouldn't know what it meant. She also noticed that Franziska had answered the unasked question of why she had been instructed to say nothing about her crime. She supposed it was only natural that someone would wonder about that… or perhaps Franziska had a good enough intuition she had guessed it anyway. She thought the former was most likely the case, but after Phoenix Wright's whole thing about "Psyche-Locks," she couldn't completely dispel the latter, either. Actually, she still wasn't really sure what a Psyche-Lock was, and she wondered if Franziska would know. She wasn't sure how well Franziska knew much of anything about Phoenix, really, but she thought the prosecutor to be fairly knowledgeable upon most subjects, even if part of that was her idealizations.

_I am glad you are doing well. I believe we should be able to stay in contact, as I would enjoy that as well. _

_Sincerely, Franziska von Karma_

The last sentence was written somewhat awkwardly. Adrian could tell Franziska was not used to saying that sort of thing – perhaps she wasn't good at displaying her emotions. The fact that she had been willing to say such a thing to her made it all the more meaningful to Adrian. She read it over once more before starting on a reply.


End file.
